Broadcasting - Staff Letter addressed to Charlene Gavel (Saskatchewan Telecommunications)

Gatineau, 13 March 2025

BY E-MAIL

Charlene Gavel
President and Chief Executive Officer
Saskatchewan Telecommunications
charlene.gavel@sasktel.com

Subject: Provision of set-top boxes for customers who are blind or partially sighted

Dear Charlene Gavel,

I am writing to you in my role as Vice-President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy, to ask for your assistance, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel), in finding a solution to a situation that has been brought to my attention.

A SaskTel customer who is blind filed a complaint (Case ID 846781) with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) claiming that SaskTel is providing set-top boxes that are not accessible to maxTV customers^{Footnote 1} who are blind or partially sighted. These set-top boxes are not compatible with screen-reading technology. It also appears, based on the information that has been filed to date, that SaskTel has no plans to provide a set-top box that is accessible to those customers and that SaskTel does not offer them an interim solution or other accommodation.

I understand that screen reader technology is available to maxTV Stream customers, as the service can be accessed through Apple TV devices. However, customers who require accessible technology are required to purchase Apple TV devices themselves to make use of screen reader technology.

In light of the Accessible Canada Act, modernized Broadcasting Act, and the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations, our collective goal is to ensure that customers who are blind or partially sighted are not facing unnecessary barriers^{Footnote 2} to accessing broadcasting services, and I would like to understand what SaskTel is doing to resolve this situation.

I note that at least one other distributor has responded to similar complaints by updating its policies to provide Apple TV devices free of charge to the small number of customers requiring screen readers.^{Footnote 3}

As such, I would ask that you share your thoughts on how SaskTel can contribute to reaching what I am confident is our shared goal of ensuring that persons with disabilities can access programming on an equitable basis. To that end, I would ask that you respond to this letter by 2 April 2025.

I trust you are familiar with the requirements in regard to filing confidential information. However, details are provided in the appendix to this letter as a courtesy.

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

Scott Hutton
Vice-President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy (CAS)

c.c.: Nanao Kachi, nanao.kachi@crtc.gc.ca
Leah Paolini, leah.paolini@crtc.gc.ca
Matthew Welch, matthew.welch@crtc.gc.ca

Appendix – Provision of set-top boxes for customers who are blind or partially sighted

This letter and your response may be published on the CRTC website. They may be included as part of the record of a future public proceeding.

Section 25.3 of the Broadcasting Act and sections 30 to 34 of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure and Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961 provide that persons can designate certain information submitted to the CRTC as confidential. A detailed explanation of why the designated information is confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest must be provided, including why the specific direct harm that would be likely to result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in its disclosure.

If you file a document containing confidential information, an abridged version of the document omitting only the confidential information must be filed. Alternatively, you must give reasons why an abridged version cannot be filed. Only the abridged version of the document would be posted on the CRTC’s website.

Date modified:

2025-03-13